Wiktionary

alter

See also: Alter, älter, and alter-

EnglishEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterare (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”), from al- (seen in alius (“other”), alienus (“of another”), etc.; see alias, alien, etc.) + compar. suffix -ter.

VerbEdit

alter (third-person singular simple present alters, present participle altering, simple past and past participle altered)

  1. (transitive) To change the form or structure of.
    • Bible, Psalms 89:34
      My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
    • c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene i]:
      No power in Venice can alter a decree.
    • (Can we date this quote by Alexander Pope and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)
      It gilds all objects, but it alters none.
  2. (intransitive) To become different.
  3. (transitive) To tailor clothes to make them fit.
  4. (transitive) To castrate, neuter or spay (a dog or other animal).
  5. (transitive) To affect mentally, as by psychotropic drugs or illness.
Alternative formsEdit
Derived termsEdit
Derived terms
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit

Further readingEdit

Etymology 2Edit

Probably from alter ego.

NounEdit

alter (plural alters)

  1. (especially in the plural) One of the identities or personalities of a person with multiple personality disorder / dissociative identity disorder.
    • 2012, Robert J. Kohlenberg, ‎Mavis Tsai, Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (→ISBN):
      Often this process is highly aversive and evokes avoidance; that is, it can be very anxiety provoking to the host to be told that she is a multiple much less than to be told the details of an alter's experience. [...] She stated that she was now integrated, but that every day she meditated and visualized each of her alters[.]

Etymology 3Edit

NounEdit

alter (plural alters)

  1. (proscribed) Alternative form of altar.
    • 2002, Nicholas Smeed, Resurrections: Vignettes About Discovery, Relationships, Personal Empowerment, And Preternatural Experiences, Xlibris Corporation (→ISBN), page 26:
      As an alter boy he remembered that walking between the alter and the gates was prohibited for everyone except the priest.
    • 2007, Jerry P. Martinez, Leche De Coyote, Xlibris Corporation (→ISBN), page 39:
      The hardest part of being an alter boy was learning Latin. The mass was conducted in Latin and we had to learn to pray in Latin.
    • 2009, Todd Sprague, Survive, Todd Sprague (→ISBN), page 142:
      On the alter, several candles sat unlit. An open bible rested among the candles. Behind the alter, hanging high, a huge cross was affixed to the wall, with a replica of Jesus in rags nailed to it. A simple wooden door stood closed behind the alter […]
    • 2011, Suzanne Dekeyzer James, The Stone Harp, Xlibris Corporation (→ISBN), page 146:
      Truth motioned to Alexandra, “There; the key is kept on the alter.” She spotted it easily, for it was now well lighted by an amber colored presence light. She and the others moved quickly toward the alter.
    • 2018, William Francis Jack, Alter Boy Rules, Lulu Press, Inc (→ISBN)
      Third-rate alter boy. Skinny, lousy face, brown hair with a cowlick as big as Sputtnik. So as not to go on about it, I can put it in one word: Butt-ugly.
Usage notesEdit

Usually considered a misspelling.

AnagramsEdit

DanishEdit

 
Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

EtymologyEdit

From Old Norse altari, from Old Saxon altari, from Latin altare (“altar”), cognates with Icelandic altari.

NounEdit

alter n (singular definite altret or alteret, plural indefinite altre)

  1. altar

InflectionEdit

Declension of alter
neuter
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative alter altret
alteret 		altre altrene
genitive alters altrets
alterets 		altres altrenes

GermanEdit

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

alter

  1. inflection of alt:
    1. strong/mixed nominative masculine singular
    2. strong genitive/dative feminine singular
    3. strong genitive plural

LatinEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Indo-European *h₂élteros (“the other of two”) (akin to English other). Akin to alius. Confer with ulter.

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

alter (feminine altera, neuter alterum); first/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal)

  1. the other, the second
  2. the one...the other (alter...alter)

DeclensionEdit

First/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal).

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative alter altera alterum alterī alterae altera
Genitive alterīus alterōrum alterārum alterōrum
Dative alterī alterīs
Accusative alterum alteram alterum alterōs alterās altera
Ablative alterō alterā alterō alterīs
Vocative alter altera alterum alterī alterae altera

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

Latin correlatives (edit)
type interrogative indefinite (medial)
demonstrative		 proximal
demonstrative		 distal
demonstrative		 relative indefinite
relative		 identity other
basic quis, quī quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quisque, quisquam, aliquisquam, quispiam, ūllus is, iste, istic hic ille, illic quī quisquis, quīcumque ipse, īdem alter, alius
dual uter alteruter, uterque uter utercumque
number quot aliquot tot quot quotquot, quotcumque totidem
order quotus totus quotus quotuscumque
quantity quam aliquam tam quam †quamquam †tamen, †tandem
size quantus aliquantus tantus quantus quantuscumque tantusdem
quality quālis tālis quālis quālis, quāliscumque
manner ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum utique, quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō ita, sic, eō/istō modō hōc modō illō modō ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque item, itidem aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
method,
path
place 		quā aliquā, quāque eā, istāc hāc illāc quā quāquā, quācumque eādem aliā
place ubi alicubi, ubique, usquam, uspiam ibi, istic hīc illic ubi ubiubi, ubicumque ibidem alibī, aliās
source unde alicunde inde, istinc hinc illinc unde undecumque indidem aliunde
destination quō, quōrsum aliquō, quōquam, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum eō, istūc, °istōrsum hūc, °hōrsum illūc, °illōrsum quō quōquō, quōcumque eōdem aliō, aliorsum
time quandō quondam, aliquandō, quandōque, umquam tum, tunc ōlim cum, quandō cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque simul aliās
exact time quota hora ea/ista hora hac hora illa hora quota hora quotacumque hora eadem hora altera/alia hora
repetition quotiēns aliquotiēns totiēns quotiēns quotiēnscumque
multiplication quotuplex totuplex quotuplex
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated
° Rare

DescendantsEdit

  • Aragonese: atro
  • Aromanian: altu
  • Asturian: otru
  • Catalan altre, altri
  • Dalmatian: jultro
  • Franco-Provençal: ôtro
  • French: autre, autrui
  • Friulian: altri
  • Galician: outro

ReferencesEdit

  • alter in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • alter in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • alter in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
  • Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • one or two days: unus et alter dies
    • one, two, several days had passed, intervened: dies unus, alter, plures intercesserant

Norwegian BokmålEdit

 
Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology 1Edit

NounEdit

alter n (definite singular alteret / altret, indefinite plural alter / altere / altre, definite plural altera / altra / altrene)

  1. an altar

Etymology 2Edit

NounEdit

alter m

  1. indefinite plural of alt

Norwegian NynorskEdit

 
Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Alternative formsEdit

NounEdit

alter n (definite singular alteret, indefinite plural alter, definite plural altera)

  1. an altar
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